Ask Dr. Joannie Questions

Question: I stay with my son, his wife, and my granddaughter. My two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter is now becoming disrespectful. When I greet her, she says no, won’t respond, or makes a funny face to me. The parents are correcting her, but the disrespect continues. How can I deal with this? Response: At 2.5 years of age, […]

Question: We have a grandchild who is 15 months old and has missed several milestones in development. He is in PT and trying to catch up but has not been able to do so as of yet. We may eventually be learning of a long-term issue and diagnosis. My heart is broken, but I know

Question: We are asked to care for our grandchildren when their parents are out of town. Occasionally, the other grandparents drop in and bring the children food or toys their parents would prefer the children not to have. How can this disruption in routine and behaviors be stopped even when they are asked not to

Question: I have been texting and praying for each of our grandchildren since I attended your workshop at Summit. One of our granddaughters, who is 20 years old and away at college, has completely ghosted me for a couple of months. In my texts, I wasn’t too religious as I know her family has decided

Question: How do I address the question of the Trinity to a very smart 9-year-old grandson? He lives in a different state but does text messaging and FaceTime. He reads his 365-Day Bible and has very many deep questions. Response: First, let me commend you for realizing that it will be important for your grandson

Question: Once a month, I host a family dinner with my husband, my daughter, her husband, and 3 grandsons. My 15-year-old grandson told me the time spent at our home is “‘too long.” He said he only wants to spend 2 hours at our house instead of 4 (which includes dinner, conversation, dessert, and games

Question: We have been very involved with our oldest two grandchildren – boys age 10 and 12. The 12-year-old is starting to deal with things that are expected at that age. However, he has begun being critical and disrespectful toward us at times. Sometimes we let it go. At other times we feel compelled to

Question: In the last week, I have found out my 11-year-old granddaughter believes she is lesbian. My daughter is taking the stance of supporting her in this. What resources (books, speakers, groups – anything) can you recommend for a broken-hearted grandfather to deal with this? Response: I understand your concerns and can tell you that

Question: My daughter and her two daughters (age 16 and 19) recently went to a concert. I had never heard of the singer, so I googled her. I was disturbed by the lyrics and videos she performed and shocked that my daughter would condone her daughters listening to such music. They used to be very

Question: Our 7-year-old grandson often has “meltdowns” when he gets frustrated or doesn’t get his way. His parents often yell at him, but we don’t want to do that. We have tried different ways to calm him when he has a temper tantrum but with little success. Any suggestions? Response: I am glad that you